"Jeff Tarrant," Jeff extended his hand. They shook and Bill Ellis asked, "You said you're staying at Blazer's cabin?"
"That's right."
"See anything of a youngster thereabouts?"
"You mean Dan Blazer? Yes, he's there."
"Then I guess I'd better walk out with you and pick him up. Poor little tad's all alone in the world."
"No, he isn't. I'm taking care of him."
Bill Ellis was suspicious. "Since when?"
Jeff managed to sound more than a little astonished. "Didn't he tell you?"
"All he did was walk through Smithville yesterday with a little sack over his shoulder and a shotgun big's a cannon in his arm. All he said was that he would meet somebody at the cabin. I waited this long to see if he really would."
Jeff gave thanks for this bit of coincidence. "I met him at the cabin and he's all right. He's getting everything a youngster should have, though of course if your official duties call for so doing, you may take him. Naturally, I'll have to go with him and bring him right back, so there may be a bit of trouble. You were going to take him to an orphanage, weren't you?"